BAKED CHICKEN WITH ARABIC + ITALIAN HERBS

Are you craving a super easy, quick & moist baked chicken recipe? This dish elevates your ordinary baked chicken dish by merging the flavors of the Middle East & Italy!

Why merge the two you might ask? Well, because that’s sort of my thing – figuring out ways to merge our rich Arabic flavors with flavors used in other cuisines. And also, because I just recently came back from an incredible exploration holiday in Italy!

Italy was refreshing & I “gained” a deeper understanding of their ingredients & food culture – “gained” is a critical word here folks! I honestly couldn’t stop eating, which I had posted the entire thing on Snapchat, to the point that my Snappy buddies asked me to cut down on eating.

Since I’m back, the next step was to integrate what I’ve learned & mix it with my Arabic roots. Arabs & Italians share similar herbs which meant the flavors would work in harmony together.

If you would like a taste of this super moist baked chicken recipe, then here’s how you can make your own!

Baked Chicken with Arabic & Italian Herbs

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp za’atar mix

1 tsp oregano

1/4 cup zereshk (barberry), soaked in hot water & drained

1 1/2 tsp pomegranate molasses

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Firstly, preheat the oven to 200C.

Then place all ingredients on a baking tray & mix well. Cover with aluminum foil & pop into the oven for 25 minutes. Take the chicken out of the oven & keep covered. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.